“It really is big,” Sophie agreed. “I’m so glad you got here in time but we have to hurry, we only have a minute to change you into your dress before the ceremony starts.” She nodded at the long pale gold gown hanging from the rack which was the twin of the one Olivia was wearing. “I hope I got the right size. I had to guess so—”
“Oh, no need for that.” Standing directly across from Liv, Nadiah stared hard at the bridesmaid’s dress she was wearing. “See that?” she murmured, stroking the sleeve of the dark green jumpsuit she was wearing. “Emulate.”
The dark green jumpsuit shifted and then shivered like a live thing—which was exactly what it was, Sophie realized. Nadiah was wearing a tharp—a living furry blanket-type creature that fed on body heat and could be worn as clothing. But she had never seen a tharp like this one.
It didn’t look furry, for one thing. And though she knew an intelligent tharp could be trained to configure itself into almost any kind of garment, she’d never seen one that could change color like this one was doing. It actually went from dark green to pale gold as she watched—even its texture changed. In less than a minute it was an exact replica of Olivia’s dress—right down to the lace on the sleeves and the deeply scooped neckline.
“Wow!” Sophie smiled in admiration.
“That’s amazing,” Liv, who usually didn’t care for tharps, which she referred to as ‘creepy living blankets,’ exclaimed. She stared at the dress Nadiah was still wearing in astonishment. “I didn’t know tharps could do that!”
“Well they can’t, generally.” Nadiah grinned. “This is a new kind they’re breeding and Mamam got the very first one. It was going to increase her social status immeasurably—only I got to it and imprinted it first.”
Sophie didn’t care much for Nadiah’s mother, who also happened to be Sylvan’s aunt, so she laughed. “I bet she loved that.”
“Almost as much as she loved me hitching a ride to the Mother ship right before what was supposed to be my own bonding ceremony.” Nadiah sighed dramatically. “Of course I’ll have to go back eventually. Yo-dah and I have the bond of blood between us—my parents saw to that when they enacted our engagement.” She shook her head. “I still remember crying when they pricked my finger with the stylus. I was just a little thing and it scared me to death.”
“Wait a minute.” Kat held up a hand. “Did you just say your fiancée is a guy named Yoda?”
Nadiah nodded. “Yo-dah Licklow. He’s the son of the local magistrate in my grotto.”
“Yoda Licklow?” Kat was cracking up. “Seriously? That’s his name? So if you married him you’d be Mrs. Yodah Licklow?”
“Well, not exactly. When speaking formally, we break up the names to show the possessive of bonding,” Nadiah explained. “So my formal name would be Lady Lick Yo-dah Low.”
“Lick…lick Yoda…low…” Kat dissolved into a fit of giggles and Sophie and Liv couldn’t help laughing too.
Nadiah smiled at them quizzically. “I’m not sure what’s so funny. I got a shot of translation bacteria but maybe they’re not working right.”
“They’re working fine,” Sophie assured her with a smile. “Sorry—I’ll explain why it’s funny later but right now the ceremony is about to start.” She sighed. “I’m afraid there’s not going to be anyone for you to do the luck kiss with, though. It looks like Sylvan’s friend couldn’t make it.”
“Oh, he’ll be here.” Nadiah was unexpectedly serious. “I know he will—I have forseen it.”
“You what?” Liv asked, frowning.
“I forsaw him.” Nadiah blushed and looked down at her fingers. “It’s a new thing for me—I just came into my powers when I came of age. But so far it’s always been accurate.”
“Your powers?” Kat asked blankly. She had finally stopped laughing and was dabbing at the corners of her eyes.
“The Sight. It’s hereditary in my family,” Nadiah explains. “It skips every other generation. My Grandmaman had it and I have it too. Basically it just means I can see things before they happen.”
“So…you’re psychic?” Liv sounded skeptical.
Nadiah lifted her chin. “Call it what you want, but I do have the Sight. And before I came here I saw myself standing in the sacred grove during Sophie’s bonding ceremony and kissing a Kindred male. He’s big and powerful and he has truegreen eyes.” She gave Sophie’s arm a squeeze. “Don’t worry, Sophie—he’ll be here. And when he shows up, I’m going to give him a luck kiss he’ll never forget.”
* * * * *
Detective Adam Rast had the strangest sensation of coming home the moment he set foot on the Kindred Mother ship.
Of course, that made no sense. He’d never even been off the planet before—let alone aboard an alien ship. The closest he’d come to leaving mother Earth was during his stint in the marines where his squadron had been taught to sky dive. Rast hadn’t cared for that much—he preferred to keep both feet planted solidly on the ground. So being in a ship a fourth the size of the moon orbiting high above the planet he’d been born and bred on should have been an uncomfortable experience. Instead it seemed…oddly familiar.
He tried to shake the ridiculous feeling as he climbed out of the shuttle and thanked the Kindred pilot who had ferried him up from the Human/Kindred relations building in Tampa. Say what you wanted about the aliens who were protecting Earth, but they were damned polite. And no-nonsense, which Rast approved of. Time spent in both the military and the police force before he’d left to start his own detective agency had left him with little tolerance for any kind of foolishness. He appreciated the precision and dignity that seemed to be innate to the Kindred.
Of course, he wouldn’t be aboard the Mother ship at all if his latest job hadn’t led him in the strangest direction imaginable. Rast specialized in missing persons cases which meant he was usually tracking down runaways or kidnapped children—usually taken by an estranged parent during or after divorce proceedings. When Abigail Jakes had approached him about finding her missing daughter, Lauren, he’d known that the case was different right from the start. It had appeared that she’d disappeared into thin air, vanishing right out of her clothes which were left in an oddly orderly heap on the floor.
In fact, that was exactly what had happened. After a lot of probing, Rast had discovered that Lauren Jakes had been taken by the AllFather himself—the leader and overlord of the evil Scourge. He’d been assured by Lauren’s cousins, Olivia and Sophia, that she was in fact well and on her way home, but he would believe that when he saw it. In the mean time, Lauren was still technically missing and the Kindred seemed to have more information about the case than anyone else. Rast was hoping that meeting Commanders Sylvan and Baird face to face would help him establish a working relationship and maybe even get Lauren home faster—if they knew more than they were saying.
Speaking of Commanders Sylvan and Baird, where were they? Frowning, he looked around the huge, echoing docking bay. Someone was supposed to meet him and escort him somewhere they could talk. Just as he was thinking he would have to find someone to ask for directions, a tall blond Kindred came over to him.
“Are you here for Sylvan?” the warrior asked, looking at him anxiously. “I certainly hope so because everything is about to begin.”
Rast nodded. “Yes, I’m here to see Commander Sylvan. Can you show me to him?”
“I can but there’s no time to use a Take-me. I’ll have to send you in a transport tube. This way.” The warrior began walking through the docking bay, weaving rapidly through the rows of ships. His black boots echoed in the vast space.
Rast was every bit as large as the Kindred warrior and his stride was as long but he still had to hurry to keep up. His guide seemed to be in a terrible rush for some reason. “Where are we going?” he asked as they came to a row of round, tubular structures at the end of the bay. Each of them looked like an oversized pipe and was a little larger than an old fashioned telephone booth.
“To the sacred grove.
” The Kindred pressed some buttons on the outside of one of the tubes and its silver door whooshed open. “There—get in. It’s a tight fit and you’ll have to change once you get there. I’ll notify Deep you’re on your way.”
“Who?” Rast frowned even as he climbed into the tiny structure. It was a good thing he wasn’t claustrophobic—his shoulders touched the walls on either side.
“My twin. I’m sorry—didn’t Sylvan tell you about us? I’m Lock, his second brother.”
“Nice to meet you.” Rast nodded.
“You as well.” Lock studied him intently. “Forgive me for asking, but did you know our father? Our second father, I should say—Sylvan and Baird’s sire.”
Rast shook his head. “How would I know your father?”
“He was one of the First Kindred, from the home planet—there aren’t many of them left, you know. And with eyes that color of green, I thought…but obviously I was mistaken.”
“What does my eye color have to do with anything?” Rast was thoroughly confused by now but the warrior was already punching a series of commands into the panel of buttons on the side of the tube.
“Never mind—we’re just glad to have you here.” He smiled at Rast. “It’s a bumpy ride but it doesn’t take long. Deep will meet you at the end and get you dressed.”
“Get me dressed in what?” Rast demanded but the silver door had already whooshed shut before he could get an answer. With a jerk, the tiny tube began to move and there was no time to think—it was all he could do to hold on for dear life and hope he made it safely to wherever Commander Sylvan was waiting for their interview.
Chapter Three
Lauren stared at the tall man with pale blond hair and strange purple eyes apprehensively. “How do you know my name?”
“Many things are known to me, my dear Lauren. But let me introduce myself. My name is Anik Blix but my business associates call me The Spider.” He made a sweeping bow and rose to give her a charming smile.
“Why do they call you that?” Lauren crossed her arms over her chest protectively. “Are you a splicer? Do you cut people up like flies and suck out their DNA or something?”
“Heavens no!” Blix looked suitably horrified. “I am a purveyor of beauty. They call me Spider because once I have a customer in my web of goodies, they have no chance to escape without buying.” He smiled. “A little joke, don’t you see?”
“Uh, well that’s really nice but I don’t have anything to buy or sell so if you wouldn’t mind leaving…” She nodded at the door.
“On the contrary, my dear.” Blix took a step toward her. “I believe you have some valuable commodities here. Some very valuable commodities indeed.”
Lauren backed away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Of course you do.” He took another step toward her and Lauren shrank back. If only she had a weapon of some kind! Xairn had left her the finger-sized stunner but there were no pockets in the voluminous silver muumuu so she didn’t have anyplace to put it. She’d been keeping it on the counter across from the rehydrator machine but now the tall blond alien was blocking her way.
Blix leaned over her, so close that she could smell the strange, musty scent of his breath. Lauren was about to knee him and hope that it would hurt a male of his species as much as it would a human, when he suddenly reached past her and threw open the cupboard above her head with a flourish. “Food cubes!” he announced in the ecstatic tones of a prospector striking gold. “Genuine Kindred food cubes.” He turned to Lauren. “I knew it—you have hundreds. They’re quite valuable, you know.”
“They are?” Lauren put a hand to her chest to still her pounding heart. “So that’s what this is all about? That’s what you’re interested in—just the food cubes?”
“But of course!” Blix laughed. “What else would I want?”
“I…I don’t know.” There was no way she was going to tell him she’d been afraid he wanted her.
“I was certain you would have some in a vessel like this. They always stocked this particular model with plenty to spare.” Blix looked around the small ship approvingly. “But you didn’t seem inclined to let me in—which was why I created a small, ah, illusion, to facilitate my entrance into your lovely ship.”
Lauren shook her head. “I still don’t understand how you were able to do that. How did you make yourself look exactly like a rabbit? Like…”
“Like Mr. Kittles?” He raised one pale blond eyebrow at her. “It wasn’t hard at all, my dear. You think very loudly. You really should try to stop that.”
“I do?” Lauren put a hand to her temple and frowned. “But what about the weird dragon thing that was after you?”
“All part of the illusion.” Blix assured her.
“Illusion? But that thing was real. The door cut off a piece of its tongue.” Launre pointed to the slimy black chunk still twitching on the metal floor.
“That did smart a bit.” Blix went to stand by the chunk of tongue. Pointing one foot delicately, he touched it with the toe of his brown boot. There was a faint but disgusting sucking sound and the slimy mess was somehow suddenly absorbed into his foot. “It was me,” he explained as Lauren’s eyes got wide. “All of it. The bunny, the dragon—this form too. Don’t I look slightly familiar?”
Lauren looked at him, frowning. “If you had brown eyes instead of purple I’d say you looked like a grown up version of—”
“Scott Snyder—the first boy you ever kissed.” Blix smiled at her, his purple eyes flashing briefly brown. “He was a senior and you were just a freshman. You weren’t supposed to be out with him at all but you couldn’t resist—he was forbidden fruit. And the way he kissed. Just thinking about it still makes your toes curl, doesn’t it, my dear? Positively yummy.”
“Don’t do that.” Lauren frowned. “Don’t go into my head. I don’t like that.”
“I beg your pardon,” Blix managed to sound contrite and amused at the same time. “I didn’t mean to upset you. On the contrary—I wish to put you at ease.”
“Well you’re not doing a very good job.” Lauren put a hand on her hip. “Look, it was nice of you to drop in and all but my, uh…” She started to say ‘boyfriend’ but that description of Xairn didn’t really fit. “My protector who happens to be a very large, aggressive Scourge warrior will be back at any second,” she continued. “So it’s probably better if you leave. Now.”
“Very well.” Blix nodded humbly. “I realize that I used trickery to gain entry to your ship and my harmless little illusion has made you angry so I will go. But please consider doing business with me in the future. For just a few of those food cubes I’d be willing to give you enough creds to live comfortably here in O’ah for a year.”
“A year?” Lauren looked at the cupboard filled with cubes uncertainly. It wasn’t like she could eat them all. And maybe she could just sell him the ones that rehydrated into worms. Those she was never going to eat. If Xairn really was gone, she’d need a way to survive. No, don’t think like that. He’s not really gone—he’ll be back. But she was no longer so sure.
“Indeed.” Blix nodded gravely. “And a year on my planet is the length of five of your Earth years. As a token of my good faith and willingness to do business with you, please accept these.” With a flourish, he produced what looked like a stack of colorful scarves from beneath his purple cloak and pressed them into Lauren’s hands.
“What are they?” She frowned at the neatly folded bundle.
“Contemporary fashions from the Narn district right here in the city. If you put them on, you can blend right in at the marketplace.” Blix sniffed delicately. “I’m afraid the outfit you have on now would brand you as something of a country bumpkin. Only peasants and old ladies would wear such a thing.”
Lauren looked down at the shapeless silver-blue muumuu and made a face. “Yeah, on my planet too.”
“Well then.” Blix smiled at her and made a low bow. “I’ll take my leave. But please feel free to
visit my booth in the marketplace. It’s just to the right of the mouth of the alley. And bring a few food cubes if you’re willing to sell. Only…” He hesitated dramatically.
“Only what?” Lauren asked, trying not to sound impatient. Though Blix was turning out to be harmless, she still didn’t like him invading her space.
“Only you’ll need to come today if you want to make a sale. I’m leaving the district tomorrow for an interstellar buying trip and I won’t be back for quite awhile—what would amount to a year in your Earth time.”
Lauren bit her lip. “I don’t know…”
“Well, take your time and think about it.” Blix smiled. “I’m sure you have enough food cubes to keep you alive until I come back. I mean if your paramour never returns, which is a distinct possibility since he has gone to the splicing district alone.”
“Stop that.” Lauren put a hand to her head. “I told you I don’t like it. And Xairn is fine. I know he is.” She lifted her chin, trying to make herself believe it.
“Forgive me. A force of habit and nothing more, I assure you.” He made another bow. “If you wish to do business with me, I’m just around the corner, as you know.”
Lauren frowned indecisively. “But I was told not to leave the ship under any circumstances.”
“Very wise advice—as long as your lover is here to serve as a go-between to the outside world. Of course if you’re on your own—and I’m sorry, my dear, but you very well may be—you’ll need to get out and learn to fend for yourself. You’re sitting on a goldmine here.” He nodded at the cabinet full of food cubes. “But you can’t do anything about it if you just stay inside your ship and eat up all the profits.”
“All right. But, uh, is it safe? For me to go out there alone?”
“As long as you blend in.” He nodded at the stack of colorful clothes in her hands. “Wear those and you won’t have any problems. If anyone asks, say you’re an associate of mine and they’ll treat you appropriately.” He pressed the release for the door to the ship and it slid open silently. “I hope to see you soon, Lauren. Until then I bid you adieu.”
Brides of the Kindred Volume One Page 129